Operation Cygnus
by PowerSchlumpfi
Summary: "I think it's time that you and I started our own operation to find my Mom. What do you say?" Henry smiled at him and Killian couldn't help smiling back, genuinely, because he was Emma's boy and his smile looked so much like hers. He wasn't in this alone. Her boy was always with him. "Really? Well, I'd be honored!"


**A/N: I made this post a few days ago, about Henry & Killian starting their operation to find Emma in season 5 and I just couldn't shake the idea, so I had to write it. It's basically a lot of Captain Cobra fluff, plus some extra Captain Swan feels. **

**Huge thanks to foundmyhome for being my amazing beta! :)**

* * *

Killian was sitting at the docks with his flask, half-drunk already, when Henry sat down beside him, following his gaze out to the horizon. The horizon that had once had a calming effect on him and now only left his heart aching with memories of happier days; days that'd been difficult, yes, but bearable because he'd had Emma by his side.

It'd been two weeks and he was pretty certain it'd been the hardest two weeks of his very long life. And he'd had really, _really_ bad weeks before.

Her last words kept haunting him, making him happy and unbearably sad at the same time. Those last, fateful moments on the street were keeping him up at night; it'd come too unexpected. He used to be prepared for the worst, to always be looking over his shoulder and never trusting; but she made him feel whole again. She made him wish for better and now everything was ripped away and he wasn't prepared. He'd had no way to prepare; not that he could ever prepare for anything like it.

* * *

I love you.

 _No._

 _She_ _was gone._

 _And she loved him._

 _She had told him._

 _But she was gone._

 _No._

 _No._

 _Not again._

 _Not Emma._

 _Killian could only stand there and stare blankly for a few moments, watching the love of his life disappear right in front of him. He had no idea what was happening to her and how he could possibly find her; but he would. He would find her, no matter what._

 _The dagger fell to the ground and it was all that was left. And again, the Dark One, the essence of him, had managed to take everything away from him – his love, his_ _Emma, his everything. He stumbled forwards and sank to the ground, taking the dagger in his hands._

Emma Swan

 _Her name was written across it now, painfully real, a reminder of what he'd just lost all over again. He pressed it against his chest, tears burning in his eyes._

" _No." he whispered. "No."_

 _He traced his fingers over her name imprinted on the metal. He took a deep breath, trying hard to stay strong, like Emma would want him to be._

" _I love you, too." he breathed._ And I will find you and I will tell you.

 _He felt two hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. One was a bit smaller than the other, a bit more tender; it made his shoulders quake and his eyes well up again; it_ _was the hand of a mother._

" _We will find her." David said on his right. "You know this by now. In this family, we always find each other."_

 _Killian found himself nodding slowly. He knew. But it wasn't much consolation for his broken heart; nothing could be, not until he had Emma back in his arms._

 _He scrambled back to his feet and as soon as he was standing he was pulled into a motherly hug. Snow was shaking a little, her face wet with tears. He hugged her back, softly, because felt that she needed it even more than he did. David gave him a soft clap on the shoulder._

" _Emma is strong. She'll get through this."_

 _Killian managed to smile a little, thinking of just how strong Emma was. "I know she will."_

I love you.

 _He clung onto her words like they were a lifeline; he clung onto the memory of her smile, of the way she looked at him when she threw her arms around him and fell on top of him onto the bed._

 _Being loved by Emma Swan was a privilege. It was something he hadn't allowed himself to even dream of. But it was real; just as real as the fact that she was gone now and nobody knew where she was or if she was okay._

 _She had left a hole in his heart, one that couldn't be filled by anyone but her. It had been only five minutes, maybe a little more, and he already missed her. But no matter how long it would take him, he would find her. He would always find her._

* * *

He'd spent centuries hating the Dark One and trying to kill him once and for all, to avenge his love. It was ironic. It was so unbearably ironic that he now loved the Dark One with every fiber of his being; with all his heart and all he could give. And he would find her. He'd spent centuries trying to get to the Dark One he hated; he would willingly spend millennia trying to get to the Dark One he loved.

"We _will_ find her, you know?" Henry said beside him.

They'd spent almost every day together since Emma had disappeared and Henry had told him every single day that they would find her and that they would all be fine and happy again.

"I know, lad. I know." He brought out, taking another sip from his flask.

"We both love my Mom. We have that in common. And that's why we'll find her." Killian looked up and gave Henry a small smile.

"Yeah. That we do."

"I don't know if my Mom ever told you this, but when she first got here and everyone was cursed, she didn't believe me that they were cursed. She didn't believe in magic or fairytales... or anything, really. But she didn't want to upset me, so she pretended to believe and to find a way with me to break the curse. We called it 'Operation Cobra'."

"Like 'Operation Mongoose' to find the author?" Killian asked with a wry grin and a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly. And now I think it's time that you and I started our own operation to find my Mom. What do you say?"

Henry smiled at him and Killian couldn't help smiling back, genuinely, because he was Emma's boy and his smile looked so much like hers. He wasn't in this alone. Her boy was always with him and, so Heaven help him, he would protect him with his life.

"Really? Well, I'd be honored!" And he truly was. It didn't escape his notice that Henry had only started operations with his mothers before.

"Awesome! So what should we call it? I was thinking, maybe _Operation Cygnus_? You know, it's the scientific term for swan."

Killian still smiled a little when he nodded and instinctively wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders, pulling him in a hug.

"I couldn't have thought of a better name."

Henry didn't pull back when he said: "Thanks, Killian. For being... here."

Killian softly squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Well, there's no where else to be for me anymore. This is where I belong. With you and your mother."

"Do you think she's alright, wherever she is?"

„Aye, I hope so. Your mother is a tough lass. If there's anyone who can get through this, it's Emma."

They sat there at the docks for a while longer, just looking at the horizon and Killian thought that maybe, wherever Emma was, she was thinking about them, too. And that she would fight the darkness; that she would fight to find a way back to them.

Emma loved him. And there was nothing that could stop him from finding her and telling her that he loved her too, so bloody much.

* * *

From the day at the docks on, Henry spend every afternoon with him on the Jolly Roger or in the library, trying to figure out a way to find Merlin or to find out where Emma could be now. They were often joined by her parents and by Regina and Robin, and sometimes even Belle, who was always great at finding any kind of useful information in the library. But Henry and Killian were almost inseparable now, both eager in their mission to find Emma.

In the evenings, they would sit on deck of the Jolly Roger and Henry would tell him stories about Emma and Killian would tell him about his adventures, about his childhood and about his adventures with Emma in the Enchanted Forest.

Spending time with Emma's lad was consoling and it made him feel less lonely and miserable. He knew Emma would want him to take care of Henry and there was nothing he'd rather do. He'd grown to care deeply about the boy; he often felt as if Henry was like a son to him.

One night, two months after Emma's disappearance, when they were playing a board game in the Captain's cabin and laughing about some stupid joke, Henry suddenly gave him a sincere look and said softly: "You'd be a great Dad, Killian."

And Killian almost cried. His heart paused for a moment, before jumping back to life and starting to race like he'd just chased some other monster through the whole town. Tears were burning in his eyes and it cost him every bit of strength not to stand up, walk over and pull the lad into a hug. He'd never gotten the chance to be a Dad; but secretly, he'd always wanted to be one. And looking at Henry, hearing his soft words, he wondered if maybe, one day, he could be a father to _him_. He felt a wave of warmth and affection radiating from his heart over his body and a soft smile spreading on his face.

„And you are a great son, Henry."

And it was true. Henry was brave and clever and selfless, just like his mother. They were both little pirates; and he really couldn't help loving them both. Henry reminded him a bit of Milah, too, sometimes. The way his eyes lit up when he got excited, how he loved adventures and the open sea or how he refused to ever give up on his dreams; he'd seen all of those traits before, in his first love, his Milah. Henry was her grandson after all. And he knew she'd be very proud of him.

"I never really had a Dad. I didn't even know mine very well." Henry bit his lip, his brow furrowing in concentration as he hesitated, before smiling up to him. "But it feels good to have one."

Killian felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. Maybe he would once they had Emma back, once they were complete again, all three of them. They would be a family.

And that was so much more than he could ever have dreamed of.

* * *

Emma was struggling with darkness when they finally found her. Her light was at war with the darkness, causing her to scream in agony, to attack them when darkness took over and to make her cry and smile when she was herself again. But it never lasted long enough.

Killian and Henry were facing her alone and whenever light took over, she screamed at them to leave, to get to safety. It was probably the last thing they'd do.

"Belle said True Love's Kiss could break the curse." Henry said calmly, looking firmly at him. "You have to find a way to get to her and kiss her."

Killian stared at him for a moment. He hesitated, his heart clenching painfully as he looked at Henry's hopeful face, firm in its resolution. His jaw clenched and his throat contrasted harshly as he forced the words out.

"Laddie, I— my love for your mother is very true. But that's not— We can't risk that it wouldn't work. It worked for you once already. You should do it."

"No. It's different this time. It has to be you. It's easier for you to reach her."

"But—"

Henry shook his head. "You love my Mom, don't you?"

"Aye. I do. "

„I know she loves you, too. I heard her when she was talking to my Mom in the Enchanted Forest after you died. It _will_ work. I'm sure."

Killian closed his eyes for a few seconds, before nodding slowly.

They waited until Emma surfaced again and then he ran towards her; she was crying and begging him to back off, but he reached her in no time, cupping her face in his hands.

"Killian, please." she brought out.

Killian felt his heart racing in his chest; he was sure he had never been that nervous before. His stomach was doing somersaults, making him feel a little sick and jittery.

There she was, as beautiful as she'd ever been – and he loved her so much.

He tried not to think about what would happen if it didn't work, if their love wasn't true or strong enough. Henry had been so certain; and maybe it was time for him to believe, like Henry always had. He had to believe that it would work.

 _I love you._

And then his lips were on hers and the world was exploding around them for a moment; Emma gasped and Killian kept kissing her, but opened his eyes a little to see what was happening. The darkness was leaving her body, swirling around in the air, and thank the gods, Emma's parents chose that moment to rush into the cave, followed closely by Merlin, who wasted no time to suck the darkness into some kind of stone.

Emma was sagging against him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She was panting and her body was shaking violently as she was sobbing into his shoulder.

"Emma, love, are you alright?" he whispered into her hair and she nodded, before pulling back a little and looking into his eyes, a weak smile dancing around her lips.

"Good." Killian reached up to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Because I need to tell you something."

"Tell me what?" she asked softly, with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

He leaned in, brushing his lips over hers, before whispering close to her ear:

"I love you, too."

"Well." Emma said with a smile. "I thought True Love's kissing around made that quite clear. But it's still nice to hear it."

They smiled at each other for another moment, before Henry came running towards them. "Mom!"

He hugged Emma first and then Killian, basically throwing his arms around him. "See, I told you it would work."

"Wow. I clearly missed something here." Emma said, watching the scene wide-eyed.

"Operation Cygnus completed." Henry and Killian exchanged several high-fives, leaving Emma completely stunned.

She raised an eyebrow, but smiled widely. "Operation Cygnus?"

"It's the scientific term for 'Swan'" Killian explained, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Can I just say that you have a bloody brilliant son?"

"Oh, I know. And you know what? I also have a _bloody_ brilliant boyfriend."

Killian let out a rather weird giggle and pressed a kiss against her temple.

"I agree."

He didn't see it, but he knew Emma was rolling her eyes.

She was finally back in his arms, she loved him and he loved her and everything felt _so right_. He was happy. For once, he was truly happy. He had everything he needed; everything he would ever need: His family.

And that was so much more than he could ever have wished for.

"So." Emma said, reaching out and ruffling Henry's hair. "What have you two been up to when I was gone?"

-Fin-


End file.
